The next lecture in the programme will be by Dr Audrey Thorstad talking about Interaction, daily life, and socialising spaces in early Tudor castles on 10th December. This will be held in the Swarthmore Institute.
Dr Thorstad kindly sent the following abstract and the photograph of Cowdray Castle:-
‘Castles have long been understood as elite military structures. However, recent approaches to castle studies have demonstrated that historical documents and archaeological remains depict a much more complex narrative for those living, working, and visiting a castle site during the Middle Ages and early modern periods. This paper will explore how people – from the lord and his family to members of the household and guests – moved around and used space in English castles of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. My approach takes into account sources that have not previously been used together in order to explore the layout and chamber arrangements in an age when castles were supposedly in decline. By dismantling the idea of the decline paradigm often used to describe castles after the fourteenth century, this paper will argue that castles were in fact still heavily used by the nobility well into the sixteenth century.’
I attended the Society for Museum Archaeology‘s two-day annual conference at Colchester (5th-6th November 2014) called ‘With Fresh Eyes’. The theme of the conference was using digital techniques of interpretation and using collections in new ways. I saw some brilliant innovations in the use of digital technology on sites and in museums and I’d like to share the Medieval examples in particular with section members. They may have applications on some of Yorkshire’s rich Medieval sites. Philip Wise, Collections and Curatorial Manager, Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service (CIMS) opened the conference with a presentation about the work to redevelop Colchester Castle and its displays. A son-et-lumiere tells the story of the site’s long and eventful history from the time of the Roman colonia and its destruction by Boudicca to the construction of a castle by the Normans. CIMS’ strategy was to open up more of the original fabric of the castle interior.
Medieval section of son-et-lumiere at Colchester Castle
This was followed by a presentation about the use of new technology at Falaise Castle in Normandy by Charlotte Lapiche, Head of the Heritage Service of the Commune de Falaise. Though it may not be politic to say so in the present climate, the work on this and other Anglo-Norman castles was funded by the European Union. The French used digital reconstructions and augmented reality (AR) to give visitors a sense of what the castle looked like, especially during the pre-12th century period, about which less was known.
Medieval augmented reality interpretation Room interior augmented reality: what’s on the tablet screen is what the room looked like in the Middle Ages and it’s responsive.Castle Interior with furnishings
Stereoscopic binoculars were used outside to allow visitors to compare the present condition of the ruins with how it is thought the castle would have looked during the Middle Ages. Tablets show interiors complete with drapery and other soft furnishings, creating a much warmer impression of what it was like to live there in the aula of the Keep. If the archaeologists aren’t completely sure of the detail because of earlier ill-judged conservation work that sadly destroyed the evidence, it is still worthwhile because it makes the castle more accessible. At Caen Castle visitors use touch tablets and the speaker readily conceded that although this provided better visualisation there was a danger that the technology overshadowed the monument. visitor survey showed very high rates of visitor satisfaction (97%).
Dr John Davies, Norfolk Museums Service talked about the use of new technology in the redisplay of Norwich Castle Museum. though described as ‘one of the most elaborate of Norman donjons in Europe’, ‘… more sophisticated than any other great tower’ and ‘unrivalled in its ostentation’, the castle was the least well-known of Norman donjons. The first earth-and-timber castle erected by the Normans in 1067 was rebuilt in stone between 1090 and 1120. It had a very colourful history: there were no less than five occasions when the castle was besieged, attacked or involved in revolts, and it was twice stormed. Its importance waned after the 13th century and the castle was used as a prison until it was made into a museum during the later 19th century. The Victorian architect, Boardman, who renovated the structure, inserted a floor at the wrong level making it difficult for visitors to understand the building.
Artist’s impression of the Bigod entrance
However, between 2008 and 2014 the museums service had worked on re-interpreting the castle as part of the Norman Connections project. They have made fairly modest interventions such as projecting onto the Bigod arch to give an idea of how colourful the original appearance would have been.A replacement glazed window on the site of the chapel was brought alive by inserting a light box behind it. Medieval doors will be replaced complete with Norman style wrought iron decoration. They are also displaying material from the period borrowed from the British Museum.
AR interpretation showing Henry I’s visit to Norwich Castle in 1121.
Before further work is undertaken there needs to be large-scale recording of the fabric, which is complex and important. The various initiatives will enable the visitor to reconnect with the site as a Norman castle. It would be interesting to find out what Medieval Section members think of these initiatives. At the conference these presentations prompted a great deal of discussion about the accuracy and authenticity of the interpretations. Words like ‘reconstruction’ were used but as the French speaker pointed out they did not claim to have reconstructed the rooms shown in the AR interpretation and they used the word ‘evocation’ as in ‘giving a sense of’. This point was taken up in the final session by Hedley Swain from Arts Council England, who argued that the greater the ‘authenticity’ the greater the inauthenticity of the history or archaeology interpreted. He said it was the authenticity of the emotional experience in response to the site – this might be facilitated by artists – that was important.
Medieval Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society 